Heist uses crowdsourced data to create new nude shades of tights

Heist has extended its range of nude tights, adding five new shades taken the total available to seven, following feedback from 85,000 women from across the world who took part in The Nude Project data-gathering exercise, which it launched last summer.

In a bid to create an accurate palette that reflected its audience, Heist invited women from around the world to submit their own “nude” skin tones via a dedicated microsite, an exercise in which women with more than 1,000 distinct skin tones took part.

Heist used the feedback create a database of shade references, which in-house data scientists clustered into seven new tones, giving everyone the opportunity to find their match.

“We know from our customers that women shy away from wearing nude garments for the most part because, with only a limited range of shades on offer, they are unable to find a suitable match. We saw the furore around Meghan Markle’s tights at her first royal engagement as Duchess of Sussex, with the press lambasting the shade of nude. Our extended range seeks to solve this problem,” a spokesperson for the brand said.

Direct-to-consumer business Heist was launched to shake-up the hosiery sector with its seamless design which means the tights do not sag, dig in or itch. Its tights are available in two waist-band heights in sizes 4-14 with sizes 16-24 being launched in October. Prices range from £19-£21.

The business, which next has its sights set on the underwear market, has received significant backing to date having raised more than $8m since its launch in 2015 from backers including Firstminute Capital, JamJar, Pembroke VCT and Dame Natalie Massenet’s Imaginary Ventures.

Lauretta Roberts is managing director and Editor-in-Chief of The Industry, having acquired the business along with business partner Antony Hawman in July 2015. She is also the former director of brand & propositions of trend forecaster WGSN and a former editor of Drapers magazine.

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